SeriesFest

A Celebration of Episodic Storytelling

Unscripted Series Competition

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Dates & Fees
Entry Materials
Awards & Prizes

Previous Winners
Previous Jury Members

Submission FAQs

All Festival Submissions:

Do you have a nonfiction story to tell?

SeriesFest’s Unscripted Series Competition celebrates and showcases the remarkable impact in unscripted storytelling. Submissions from all formats of unscripted will be considered including limited series and reality series under 45 minutes in length.

Pilots and Series are in competition for awards, along with cash prizes. Submit your pilots, series, proof of concept, or short under 45 in the following categories:

Limited Series 
Premium Documentary
Reality Series
Competition Series

Branded Content now has its own competition! Learn more here.

SeriesFest will consider short films in this category however this must be accompanied by proof of a series concept in the Series Format Deck. 

“SeriesFest really is the premier place to be if you care about episodic content.“

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland
Executive Director at SAG-AFTRA

KEY DATES & FEES

Submissions for SeriesFest: Season 11 open August 21, 2024.

Early Bird Deadline
10/21/24

Standard
$70

FilmFreeway Gold Member
$50

Student
$40

Regular Deadline
12/3/24

Standard
$90

FilmFreeway Gold Member
$70

Student
$60

Final Deadline
1/14/25

Standard
$120

FilmFreeway Gold Member
$100

Student
$75

Submissions are open, and listed prices are available through 11:59 PM (local time) on the date shown.

Certain projects that exhibit a commitment to engaging underrepresented communities may be eligible for our Inclusion Initiative Submission Fee Waiver. Learn more.

AWARDS & PRIZES

Winners will be determined by a jury of high-profile industry and talent during the annual festival. Winners are announced at our Awards Ceremony and are included on our website and in media announcements. View previous jury members and winners below.

Special Awards

INCLUSIVITY INITIATIVE AWARDS

This category is eligible for Inclusivity Initiative Awards including TheLevel Forward Impact Award, The Caz Matthews Fund, The Inclusive Creator Fund presented by the Anna & John J. Sie and the Global Down Syndrome Foundations, and The Intersectionality Fund. Theses awards will be given to the episodic projects and teams who demonstrate a thoughtful, thorough, and deliberate approach to using storytelling as a means of leveling the playing field for underrepresented people including women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and alternatively abled voices.
Learn more about our Inclusivity Initiative here.

Outstanding Series Format Deck Award, presented by Canva

SeriesFest is partnering with Canva, our Official Design Partner, to acknowledge the creativity and skill necessary to build the perfect series format deck. SeriesFest: Season 11 Official Selections and Storytellers Initiative Semi-Finalists who choose to create their series format decks on Canva will have the opportunity to win the award, which includes a $5,000 cash prize.
Learn more here.

ENTRY MATERIALS

Produced Pilot
Submitted via FilmFreeway’s Secure Online Screener system. All entries must be under 45 minutes in length.

Series Format Deck
All submissions must include a Series Format Deck—uploaded to the FilmFreeway application page under “Files & Attachments”.

An effective Series Format Deck introduces your project in a visually exciting and emotionally powerful way.  It captures the reader’s imagination, allowing them to see the full scope of the series and embrace the characters.  The Series Format deck is the crucial to the review process as we look to showcase 

The Series Format Deck should be 2–15 pages, must be in English, and include the following:

  • Log Line
  • Pilot Synopsis
  • Season One Outline
  • Main Character Descriptions (Up to 5)
    • For unscripted pilots, include key onscreen subjects/talent
  • Tone of your series (can include no more than 2 comparisons)
  • Producing Team
  • Key Creatives
  • Goals for your Series
  • A Creator Statement that includes: Why This Idea, Why Me, and Why Now?

If your submission is selected for final programming you will be required to submit more information regarding your pilot, cast, and crew so SeriesFest can maximize your experience with executives at the Festival in May. Full details will be sent to submissions selected for SeriesFest: Season 11 in an acceptance email by April 2025.

Not sure where to get started on your Series Format Deck? You don’t have to start from a blank page. Check out our template—created in Canva, and make it your own!

FilmFreeway Entry Fee
(see above)

Press Kit Material
Any available press kit material.

Please note, entry materials will not be returned

Pilots selected do not need to retain any sort of premiere status, however, programmers do consider premiere status, previous festival screenings, and awards when deciding on official competition selections. If your pilot has been released via any home video outlet, broadcast on television, or had a ticketed public theatrical exhibition anywhere in the USA, it is not eligible for this festival. Submissions are welcome from around the world, but submissions must be in English or include English subtitles.

Previous Award Winners

RACIST TREES

SeriesFest: Season 6, 2020

BREAKTHROUGH

SeriesFest: Season 10, 2024

THE DOUG HEIR STORY

SeriesFest: Season 10, 2024

THE BIG IDEA: LAST MILE

SeriesFest: Season 9, 2023

HER TURF

SeriesFest: Season 5, 2019

ONE VOTE AT A TIME

SeriesFest: Season 6, 2020

Previous Jury Members

Michael Rucker

Showrunner / Director Blue Raincoat

Diana Williams

Co-Founder, CEO Kinetic Energy Entertainment

Andrea Ambam

Programming Manager and Host Level Forward

Thank you to our partners

Company 3

Company 3 is a comprehensive postproduction facility for features, episodic, commercials, and music videos. Known for its creative color artistry, pioneering technology, and global reach, Company 3 is trusted to deliver a quality product every time. It is home to one of the largest and most talented pools of colorists and visual effects artists working in post-production today with a client list that includes many of the most respected and talented film and entertainment professionals in the industry. Company 3 offers solutions-based services ranging from color correction, Digital Intermediate (DI), and file-based workflows to visual effects and online services. Through its virtual outposts, Company 3 Colorists are available to clients around the world..

Do you have a nonfiction story to tell? SeriesFest’s Unscripted Series Competition celebrates and showcases the remarkable impact of unscripted storytelling. Submissions in the following formats of unscripted will be considered including limited series and reality series under 45 minutes in length.

  • Limited Series
  • Premium Documentary
  • Reality Series
  • Competition Series
  • Branded Content

Submissions are Closed

Check out our Submission FAQs or email us at info@seriesfest.com. 
Visit our page on FilmFreeway.

KEY DATES & FEES

Early-Bird Deadline
OCT 01, 2023		Regular Deadline
DEC 01, 2023		Final Deadline
JAN 11, 2024
Standard$60$80$110
FilmFreeway Gold Member$40$60$90
Student$35$45$55

AWARDS & PRIZES

Pilots and Series are in competition are up for awards, along with cash prizes.

  • Best Director
  • Best Unscripted Series **
  • Audience Award

Winners will be determined by a jury of high-profile industry and talent during the annual festival. Awards are announced at our Awards Ceremony and will be included in our website and media announcements.

**As an official partner of the Independent Pilot Competition, Company 3 is awarding the winners of the Best Comedy, Drama, and Unscripted series $25K in post-production in-kind services.

INCLUSIVITY INITIATIVE AWARDS

This category is eligible for Inclusivity Initiative Awards including the Level Forward Impact Award, the Caz Matthews Fund, and the Inclusive Creator Fund presented by the Anna & John J. Sie and the Global Down Syndrome Foundations. Awards will be given to the episodic projects and teams who demonstrate a thoughtful, thorough, and deliberate approach to using storytelling as a means of leveling the playing field for underrepresented people including women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA and alternatively abled voices.

read more

OUTSTANDING SERIES FORMAT DECK AWARD PRESENTED BY CANVA

SeriesFest is partnering with Canva, our Preferred Design Platform, to acknowledge the creativity and skill necessary to build the perfect series format deck. SeriesFest: Season 10 Official Selections who choose to create their series format decks on Canva will have the opportunity to win the inaugural Outstanding Series Format Deck Award, a $5,000 cash prize, for the best series format deck submission created in Canva

learn more

ENTRY MATERIALS

Produced Pilot
Submitted via FilmFreeway’s Secure Online Screener system. All entries must be between 18 and 60 minutes in length.

Series Format Deck
All submissions must include a Series Format Deck which can either be submitted using a Canva file URL hyper linked under “Project Links” or as a PDF under “Files & Attachments” . An effective Series Format Deck introduces your project in a visually exciting and emotionally powerful way. It captures the reader’s imagination, allowing them to see the full scope of the series and embrace the characters.

The Series Format Deck should be no longer than 15 pages, must be in English, and include the following:

  • Log Line
  • Pilot Synopsis
  • Season One Outline
  • Main Character Descriptions (Up to 5)
  • Tone of your series (can include no more than 2 comparisons)
  • Producing Team
  • Key Creatives
  • Goals for your Series
  • A Creator Statement that includes Why This Idea, Why Me, and Why Now?

Not sure where to get started on your Series Format Deck? You don’t have to start from a blank page. Check out the SERIESFEST – APPROVED TEMPLATE created in Canva. Personalize it, and make it your own!

Press Kit Material
Any available press kit material.

FilmFreeway Entry Fee

Please note, entry materials will not be returned

SeriesFest will consider short films in this category however this must be accompanied by proof of a series concept in the Series Format Deck. 

INCLUSION INITIATIVE WAIVER APPLICATION

SeriesFest, in partnership with the Royal Bank of Canada, is launching a sequence of opportunities to make our festival more accessible for all content creators and to celebrate a commitment to diversity and equity, including a waiver for submissions. Pilots applying for the Independent Pilot, Digital Short Series, Late Night, and Unscripted Series competitions have the opportunity to apply for a submission waiver.

LEARN MORE

Questions?

VIEW SUBMISSION FAQS

Email info@seriesfest.com